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Harry Styles (Album)
Harry Styles is the debut studio album by English singer and songwriter Harry Styles. The album was released on 12 May 2017, through Columbia Records and Styles' own label, Erskine Records.112 For the album, Styles worked with producers Jeff Bhasker, Alex Salibian, Tyler Johnson and Kid Harpoon. The record has been described by various music publications as a collection of soft rock, rock, Britpop and pop. It was preceded by the release of its lead single, "Sign of the Times", while "Two Ghosts" and "Kiwi" served as the second and third singles, respectively. It received generally positive reviews from music critics and debuted atop the charts in several countries, including Australia, Canada, the UK and the US. It has been certified platinum in Australia, Poland, and Mexico, and gold in nine countries, including the UK and US. In support of the album, Styles embarked on his first headlining concert tour, Harry Styles: Live on Tour. Background Five years after the formation of the English-Irish boy band One Direction, it was announced in August 2015, preceding the release of the group's fifth studio album, that the band would be going on an extended hiatus. In January 2016, Us Weekly published a report claiming that the group's hiatus would, in fact, become a permanent split, noting that each of the four remaining group members did not renew their contracts following the completion of the On the Road Again Tour in October 2015. Representatives for the group denied the report in a statement to Billboard, stating, "nothing has changed regarding hiatus plans for the group, and all will be revealed in due time from the band members' own mouths." In February 2016, it was confirmed that Styles had left the group's management, becoming the second member of the band to do so after Zayn Malik's departure almost a year prior. In June, it was confirmed that Styles had signed a recording contract with Columbia Records. Recording sessions for the album took place in a number of locations, including in Los Angeles, London, and the Gee Jam Hotel Recording Studio in Port Antonio, Jamaica, where Styles and his production team had a two-month writing retreat in the autumn of 2016. Promotion On 31 March 2017, Styles announced "Sign of the Times" as the album's lead single and revealed its cover art on social media. The song was subsequently released on 7 April. The album name, artwork, and track list were revealed on 13 April. The album track "Sweet Creature" was released as a promotional single on 2 May. Styles performed the songs "Sign of the Times" and "Ever Since New York" on the 15 April episode of Saturday Night Live. On 21 April, Styles appeared on The Graham Norton Show for his first televised solo performance in his native country, and five days later, guested on the French talk show, Quotidien, performing "Sign of the Times" on both shows''.'' On 9 May, Styles performed the tracks "Carolina", "Sign of the Times", "Ever Since New York", and a cover of One Direction's "Stockholm Syndrome" on The Today Show. On 13 May, the day after the album's release, he held a surprise concert for fans at The Garage in London, with all proceeds being donated to a local charity. Styles held a similar show at the Troubadour in Los Angeles on 19 May, and invited Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks to perform as a special guest, and together sang his song "Two Ghosts", as well as "Landslide" and "Leather and Lace"; proceeds from the show were also given to charity. On 15 May, Harry Styles: Behind the Album was released exclusively on Apple Music, a 49-minute documentary featuring behind-the-scenes footage from his writing and recording sessions for the album in Jamaica and Los Angeles, accompanied by commentary by Styles, as well as an extended full-band performance of the album filmed at London's Abbey Road Studios. To promote the album, Styles performed every night on The Late Late Show with James Corden in the week spanning from 15 to 18 May, and appeared on the show's Carpool Karaoke segment. In support of the album, Styles embarked on his first world tour, Harry Styles: Live on Tour, which ran from September 2017 through to July 2018, comprising 89 shows held in North America, Europe, Asia, Oceania, and South America. Music and themes Music publications have described the album as soft rock, rock, Britpop, and pop. Critics noted influences by British classic rock and singer-songwriter folk. Variety's Eve Barlow described the album as a "cocktail of psychedelia, Britpop, and balladry", while for Jon Caramanica of The New York Times it "is steeped in the singer-songwriter music of the late 1960s and 1970s, and in moments, in the flamboyant harder rock of the late 1970s and 1980s." Lyrically, the album's themes mostly focus on women and relationships. In a Rolling Stone interview with Cameron Crowe, Styles said "The one subject that hits the hardest is love, whether it’s platonic, romantic, loving it, gaining it, losing it...it always hits you hardest." The album opens with a soft music number, "Meet Me in the Hallway", a psychedelic pop ballad performed with twanging guitars. "Sign of the Times" is pop rock, soft rock, "apocalyptic" ballad which musically encapsulates Styles' aspirations. The vaguely Caribbean groover track "Carolina" recalls Blur's Britpop style; described by Styles as "the little bit of fun we had been wanting but didn't have" while making the album. "Two Ghosts" is a country influenced soft rock ballad about former lovers. Lhe ullaby-like folk acoustic ballad "Sweet Creature" discusses the strength of a bond that endures despite bad times. The uptempo song "Only Angel" veers towards glam rock. In rock song "Kiwi" he sings about a classic femme fatale. A slower track, the rock troubadour "Ever Since New York", features lyrics about meditation on loss and longing. "Woman" has elements of funk rock, in which Styles compares his jealousy to a howling beast. The acoustic closer track, "From The Dining Table", features lush, multi-part harmonies, and recalls the confessional style of the album's opener. Personnel Credits adapted from the liner notes of Harry Styles.3 Performers and musicians * Harry Styles – vocals, background vocals, claps (track 6), guitar (track 4), omnichord (track 1, 4) * Steve Aho – orchestrator / conductor / musician contractor (tracks 3, 6, 10) * Erik Arvinder – violin (tracks 3, 6, 10) * Jeffrey Azoff – background vocals (track 6), claps (track 6) * Kala Balch – alto vocals (tracks 2, 6) * Laurhan Beato – alto vocals (tracks 2, 6) * Jeff Bhasker – background vocals (track 6), claps (track 6), keys (tracks 2, 6, 8), lap steel (track 2), moog (track 9), piano (tracks 1, 2, 5) * Edie Lehmann Boddicker – gospel choirmaster (tracks 2, 6), alto (tracks 2, 6) * Johnny Britt – tenor vocals (tracks 2, 6) * Reid Bruton – bass-baritone vocals (tracks 2, 6) * Caroline Buckman – viola (tracks 3, 6, 10) * Charlean Carmon – soprano vocals (tracks 2, 6) * Carmen Carter – soprano vocals (tracks 2, 6) * Alvin Chea – bass-baritone vocals (tracks 2, 6) * Monique Donnelly – soprano vocals (tracks 2, 6) * Allie Feder – soprano vocals (tracks 2, 6) * Vanessa Freebairn-Smith – cello (tracks 3, 6, 10) * Jim Gilstrap – bass-baritone vocals (tracks 2, 6) * Ira Glansbeek – cello (tracks 3, 6, 10) * Taylor Graves – tenor vocals (tracks 2, 6) * Kid Harpoon – background vocals (tracks 3, 5), bass (track 5), claps (track 3), guitar (track 5) * Clydene Jackson – alto vocals (tracks 2, 6) * Tyler Johnson – background vocals (tracks 6 and 7), claps (track 6), keys (track 4), piano (track 3) * Keri Larson – soprano vocals (tracks 2, 6) * Songa Lee – violin (tracks 3, 6 and 10) * David Loucks – tenor vocals (tracks 2, 6) * Jamie McCrary – tenor vocals (tracks 2, 6) * Ryan Nasci – bass (tracks 1–4, 6–9), lap steel (track 3) * Diane Reynolds – soprano vocals (tracks 2, 6) * Mitch Rowland – acoustic guitar (track 10), background vocals (tracks 3, 6 and 7), claps (track 6), electric guitar (track 3), guitar (tracks 1, 2, 4, 6–9), drums (tracks 1–4, 7–9) * Alex Salibian – acoustic guitar (track 3), background vocals (tracks 6 and 7), claps (tracks 3, 6), keys (tracks 3, 8 and 9), piano (tracks 3, 8 and 9) * Aretha Scruggs – alto vocals (tracks 2, 6) * Fletcher Sheridan – tenor vocals (tracks 2, 6) * Katie Sloan – violin (tracks 3, 6 and 10) * Hayden Styles - Drums (track 6), cowbell (track 6) * Carmen Twillie – tenor vocals (tracks 2, 6) * Ina Veli – violin (tracks 3, 6 and 10) * Julia Waters – soprano vocals (tracks 2, 6) * Oren Waters – tenor vocals (tracks 2, 6) * Will Wheaton – bass-baritone vocals (tracks 2, 6) * Michael Whitson – viola (tracks 3, 6 and 10) * Baraka Williams – alto vocals (tracks 2, 6) * Eyvonne Williams – alto vocals (tracks 2, 6) Production * Jeff Bhasker – executive production, production (tracks 1–4, 6–10), additional production (track 5) * Matt Dyson – assistant engineering * Chris Gehringer – mastering * Kid Harpoon – production (tracks 3, 5), engineering (track 5) * Tyler Johnson – production (tracks 1, 3, 4, 6–10), co-production (track 2), additional production (track 5), programming (track 3) * Ryan Nasci – engineering, mixing (tracks 1, 4, 10) * Alex Salibian – production (tracks 1, 3, 4, 6–10), co-production (track 2), additional production (track 5) * Mark "Spike" Stent – mixing (tracks 2, 3, 5–9) Design * Calvin Aurand – specialty packaging photography * Jacob Hassett – graphic design * Molly Hawkins – creative director * Harley Weir – photography